So you're stuck in some back-water country out in the middle of no-where and the great and all powerful beings at Microsoft have decided that the little place you call home isn't yet worthy of receiving their latest console, the Xbox One. It doesn't matter, you're going to get One anyway!

Well if this is you then have a quick read though this guide and it should hopefully help prevent some of the more common problems encountered when importing a console. (Please just note that this advice is simply based of my own personal experience and what you do with it is entirely up to you - Basically put, don't blame me if you mess up)

Bringing Home The Console With You On The Plane

Like me, you may be going overseas and planing on purchasing it while you are on holiday. The benefits to this are obvious in that you get it far quicker that having it shipped. Now comes the problem of where to put it...

I brought mine back from the US in a medium sized bag, the box is not small nor is it light so keep this in mind. Now in order to keep your new toy in good working order I would highly recommend you put it in you carry-on luggage so that you can be sure that it is treated as fragile at all times (Yes, it will fit in the overhead compartment of a plane). Try your very best not to knock it against everything in your path, it's expensive treat it like gold!

Pop Goes The Weasel's Power Supply

With importing a foreign console there are several little things that may not have been mentioned or even thought about when you got it. Let's start with the one that got me straight out the box... The Power Supply (PSU). I cannot stress this enough, check that your local power is compatible with the console power supply.

I bought an American Console and made the horrible mistake of plugging it straight into the socket when I got home, next thing I knew there way a lot of "Snap, Crackle & Pop" with small plumes of white smoke pouring out of the power supply. It happened because we work of a European Standard Voltage which is pretty much double that of the one used in the USA (220V vs 110V), I was not thrilled.

Ways around this can include the following:

Buy a console that suits your region (Obvious Right)

Get a transformer to convert the supply to the required one.

Use your old 360 Power Supply and get and adapter that allows it to plug into the Xbox One

Buy a Chinese Xbox One Power Supply

Send it in to Microsoft for replacement (very expensive to ship)

In Africa No One Can Hear You Scream For Spare Parts

If you live outside of an Xbox One supported country and you need replacement parts you're doomed. Sorry, it's just a fact that unless you are willing to wait and wait for online orders to be delivered (up to a month in my case) you will have to resort to finding another source such as Chinese knockoffs or clever little adapters in order to work around your issues.

It's not fun sitting on the phone to Microsoft in 3 different countries trying to find a solution to a simple problem that is now massively complicated by your geographical location, don't let yourself end up in this position. If at all possible get two of everything just in case something goes wrong (yes, that's crazy expensive), or make sure you are in very tight with someone in a supported region so they can help you out in a bind (My Fiancee is awesome like that!).

Region Free, Not Quite!

This is a bit of a tricky one as Microsoft has said the Games on the Xbox One will be region free and this is true, but the DVD's and Blu-Rays aren't. While Microsoft will not lock their published content this does not stop other vendors locking theirs and your Xbox will be locked to the regions you bought it in.

Take heart though, a lot of Blu-Ray's these days are entirely region free so there is hope. Just read the labels carefully or simply get over the fact that you can't play DVD's or Blu-Rays, for me it's not a big deal as I mostly use Netflix and such (We'll discuss how I got Netflix outside of the supported countries another time... Shhhhhh).

You're Gonna Be Downloading A Lot

If you've thought this through properly, then you probably already know that until your country supports the Xbox One you are going to have to get your games via download. Make sure your using some form of uncapped broadband because the games aren't small (their huge) and most importantly...

Make sure your Microsoft Account is in order in terms of billing details. This can be very tricky and to be perfectly frank, it confuses the hell out of me and I personally have one profile spread across the different continents at the moment. This makes making payments a nightmare and I have discovered that the best way is simply for me to go onto Amazon and pre-purchase the amount of Xbox Credit I would like on my account and then spend that. It's simpler, much simpler than trying to figure out with the bank why your credit card failed over Xbox Live.

The End

This has been my experience so far, and while I have left a few minor details out (such as the pain of being in a country so far away from the MS Azure Servers) it is mostly all good. My biggest piece of advice is this...

Take your time setting things up and do your research before you even plug it in, an hour or two more won't kill you... I promise and you'll thank me later.

We've all seen them and we've all most likely ignored them... the truth is we probably shouldn't have! You know what I'm talking about, the little health and safety booklets that comes with pretty much every console and peripheral. There is actually a dark side to gaming that is rarely discussed or simply overlooked and put into the category of "It'll never happen to me". Trust me I know, as I write this it's already happening to me...

What's With Me

Right now I'm sitting here writing out this article with my wrist and thumb firmly strapped due to a little condition called "De Quervain Syndrome", to sum it up briefly it is pretty much a repetitive strain injury that has messed up the tendons in my wrist and thumb causing agonizing pain if I move either one in a certain way. Now because this is primarily a gaming website you can pretty much guess what caused this...

Why It Happened

It happened simply because I pushed things too far, I'm an idiot. That said I do like to think that I'm not entirely stupid, however my own complacent attitude towards my over-all health was the big issue. Over the last few months I have put a lot of hours into a little game called Halo 4, and I mean a lot! I enjoy it and most of my online friends play it, it's pretty much my favorite social outlet at the moment (sad I know). Now all that said I know full well you should take breaks every so often, did I do it? Not as often as I should have! Most gamers will know how it goes, it's always a case of 'just one more' and the 'one more' somehow turns into 10 more. This was me for the last 10 months or so. I would often find myself putting in 8 hour sessions at least 5 nights a week, but real men don't just go to bed. What harm can possibly come from this?

What Harm Indeed

I'll be honest, this 'syndrome' isn't permanent with the right treatment and I'm in no danger of dropping dead anytime soon. It is however a massive buzz kill and a bit of a screw around when it comes to day to day activities. I have been told by my doctor that I am not allowed to touch a game controller of any kind for the next 6 weeks and for someone who loves gaming and my online friends this is a huge blow. Added to this I have to see a physio 3 times a week for those 6 weeks, where she seems to take great joy in causing me massive amounts of pain and taking a good $25 a session. Financially this if far from ideal! To top it all off all this 'therapy' may not actually pay off and I may just have to pop off to the local surgeon, who may or may not be able to fix this. I am of course hoping for the best outcome and with some luck this will get sorted out before the 6 weeks and I can get back to gaming...

So What's The Point

If and when this is sorted out I hope to return to gaming and the world I love but that said, it won't be the same. Believe me when I say I will be taking very regular breaks and looking to balance my life out a lot more. Don't kid yourself guys and girls, too much of a good thing is sometimes a very bad thing.

Please take breaks, see the sunshine and don't be a hero all the time... otherwise you may end up never being able to be a hero ever again! Last but not least, there is a reason they include the health and safety information (yes it's to legally cover their asses), because you can actually get hurt, take some time, read the stupid thing, know the risks and take them seriously!